(Akiit.com) It’s always hard when one of us falls from the height of power to the pit of shame. Actually it’s pretty devastating on a number of levels.
And when that bough breaks, it becomes a spiraling public spectacle, as layer after layer is pried away from a highly polished veneer.
The semblance of what was gathers a new velocity and swirls like a funnel cloud out of control. We all know what happens when a funnel cloud touches the ground – it becomes a tornado. The devastation that remains in its aftermath can be incalculable.
In Detroit, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has become part of that spiraling public spectacle. In Los Angeles it’s Service Employees International Union (SEIU) chapter president Tyrone Freeman.
Both are young, gifted, black and bright lights in their respective jurisdictions. They are individuals who held great promise as leaders. Both made real advances in improving the quality of life for their constituents.
Kwame has pleaded guilty to two felony counts of obstructing justice by committing perjury for attempting to hide his extramarital relationship with a staffer. He will spend four months in jail, pay up to $1 million in restitution, and serve five years’ probation.
Freeman is currently being investigated by the SEIU national office and the U.S. Labor Department for alleged ethics violations and questionable expenditures on the union’s dole. As a result both are no longer in their posts serving their constituents.
It’s a sad day for both cities. It’s fodder for the press who in both cases were all in the mix of the investigations through their brand of watchdog and whistleblower journalism. We can’t blame the press for their fall. They simply shined a light on their incendiary choices and manipulation of power.
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Tags: African American community, African Americans, black community, Black Leaders, black mayors, Black People, black politicians, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Veronica Hendrix
